Da Nang Vietnam 7 Day Itinerary

Da Nang sits at the geographical centre of Vietnam, midway between Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, and functions as a launchpad for three of the country’s most visited sites: the UNESCO Ancient Town of Hoi An, the Marble Mountains, and the Ba Na Hills cable car and theme park. The city itself has a long sand beach (My Khe), a respectable street food scene, and one of Vietnam’s better transit infrastructures. Seven days here allows you to do all of this without rushing, with time left over for the Son Tra Peninsula at dawn and a proper day of doing nothing on the beach.

Getting In and Getting Around

Da Nang International Airport (DAD) is 3km from the city centre. Use the Grab app the moment you land. A Grab car to a hotel near My Khe Beach or the Han River costs roughly 80,000 to 120,000 VND (about $4 to $6 USD) and takes 10 to 15 minutes. Do not take offers from drivers who approach you in the arrivals hall; this is Da Nang’s most persistent tourist scam, with unlicensed drivers presenting fake Grab prices (usually the most expensive tier) and charging 3 to 5 times the real rate. Walk out of arrivals, open the app, book there, then confirm the license plate before getting in.

Within the city, Grab is reliable and cheap at about 8,000 to 12,000 VND per kilometre. Renting a motorbike (around 120,000 to 200,000 VND per day) gives you freedom for Son Tra Peninsula and the coastal roads but requires real experience on Vietnamese roads, which are dense with traffic and have their own logic. Taxis from Mai Linh or Vinasun are metered and trustworthy alternatives.

Day 1: Arrival and Han River

Check in and orient yourself around the Han River. The river divides the city, and both banks have a walkable promenade. The Dragon Bridge connects the two sides: on Saturday and Sunday evenings at 9pm it breathes fire and sprays water, which sounds like a tourist gimmick but is genuinely worth seeing at least once. Go with low expectations and you will enjoy it.

For lunch, Com Ga Ba Buoi (Com Ga is Hoi An chicken rice, also common in Da Nang) is a local staple: a bowl of poached chicken on turmeric rice with fresh herbs for around 40,000 to 60,000 VND. Find a stall near the Han Market rather than the tourist strip and the price will reflect it.

Dinner on the first night: Mango Rooms on Bach Dang (the riverfront road) is a reliable, moderately expensive option with views across the Han River. Main courses run 200,000 to 400,000 VND. It is a good first-night meal without being somewhere you would return to on night seven.

Day 2: My Khe Beach and Hoi An

Start the morning at My Khe Beach, which runs 20km south from the city. The beach is wide, maintained, and has consistent surf. Early morning (before 8am) is the best time: local fishermen launch their round basket boats from the shore and the light is excellent. After 10am it fills with local families and beach vendors.

In the afternoon, take a Grab car to Hoi An (45 minutes, roughly 200,000 to 300,000 VND each way). The Hoi An Ancient Town entry ticket costs about 120,000 VND (around $5) and covers five sites within the old town including the Japanese Covered Bridge and the Phuc Kien Assembly Hall. The old town is genuinely atmospheric, particularly the stretch along Nguyen Thai Hoc Street in the early evening when lanterns are lit and motorbikes are excluded.

Dinner in Hoi An: Cao Lau Ty Co on Tran Phu Street specialises in cao lau, the local noodle dish made with pork, greens, and rice noodles that has a distinctive smoky, starchy texture unlike any other Vietnamese noodle. It is specific to Hoi An (the water used is traditionally from one specific well) and should be tried here rather than substituted at home. Return to Da Nang by Grab after dinner.

Day 3: Ba Na Hills

Ba Na Hills is a theme park and resort complex 25km from Da Nang on a mountain that the French colonial administration used as a hill station retreat. The Golden Bridge, held up by two giant stone hands, is the image you will have seen on every Da Nang travel article since 2018. It is genuinely worth seeing in person; the view over the forested mountains on a clear morning is striking.

Entry ticket in 2026 runs about 1,000,000 VND (roughly $39 USD) for adults, which covers the cable car (one of the world’s longest), all themed areas, rides, and the Golden Bridge. Buy online in advance through the official site to avoid queues. The Alpine Coaster (a small rail ride down part of the mountain) costs an additional 70,000 VND per ride.

The park is at altitude (1,500 metres) and can be significantly cooler and cloudier than the coast below. Check the weather before you go; thick cloud can hide the view from the bridge completely and the day loses most of its appeal. Mornings on weekdays are less crowded than weekends.

Return to Da Nang for dinner at Mori Sushi and Robata near the Han River: Japanese-influenced cooking that works well after a day of theme park food.

Day 4: Marble Mountains and Non Nuoc Beach

The Marble Mountains (Ngu Hanh Son) are a cluster of five limestone hills 8km south of the city, riddled with caves, Buddhist shrines, and pagodas. Entry costs 40,000 VND for the site, with an additional 15,000 VND for the elevator to the top of one of the hills. The caves here served as field hospitals and weapon caches during the Vietnam War; some of the shrines inside were installed by soldiers during the conflict. Allow two to three hours. Go early: it gets hot and crowded by 10am.

Non Nuoc Beach directly below the mountains is less developed than My Khe and a better beach for swimming at midday because it is quieter. After the Marble Mountains, walk down and spend the afternoon in the water.

The Cham Museum (Bao Tang Cham) in the city centre (40,000 VND entry) holds the world’s largest collection of Cham sculpture, from a Hindu civilisation that controlled central Vietnam from the 2nd to the 15th century. The collection includes intricate carved sandstone altars, dancing figures, and religious objects from the My Son temple complex nearby. It is small enough to see in 90 minutes and is genuinely interesting; most itineraries skip it entirely, which is a mistake.

Dinner at La Maison 1884, a colonial-era villa in the city that does French-Vietnamese fusion. The setting is the main draw; the food is good rather than exceptional. Budget 400,000 to 700,000 VND per person.

Day 5: Son Tra Peninsula

Set an alarm for 5am. Son Tra Peninsula (Monkey Mountain) is Da Nang’s forested cape, 10km north of the city, and the best time to be there is at sunrise when it is empty, the light comes across the South China Sea from the east, and the red-shanked douc langurs (a critically endangered primate species found almost nowhere else) move through the canopy above the road. The monkeys are most active at dawn and dusk; midday visits give you heat and no wildlife.

The giant Lady Buddha (Linh Ung Pagoda) statue on the southeastern slope of Son Tra is 67 metres tall and free to visit. The statue is visible from much of Da Nang’s coastline. The pagoda complex around it is active and peaceful, a genuine place of worship rather than a tourist attraction that happens to be a temple.

Return to the city by mid-morning. Han Market and Con Market are both worth an afternoon wander for Vietnamese coffee, fabric, dried goods, and souvenir shopping. Prices are haggleable; start at around 60 percent of the opening offer for anything that is not food.

Dinner: Banh Trang Nuoc Leo (grilled rice paper rolls with fish sauce) from a street food vendor near the city centre. This is a local specialty that most short-stay visitors miss. Find a vendor with a full table of locals and point at what they are eating.

Day 6: Water Park and Nightlife

Asia Park (open afternoons and evenings) is Da Nang’s city-centre amusement park with a Ferris wheel that gives good views over the river at night. It is significantly more affordable than Ba Na Hills (tickets around 200,000 VND) and better suited to an evening out than a full day.

Ba Na Oasis Water Park is worth a half-day if you have children or if the temperature is high enough to make it worthwhile (above 32 degrees it makes sense; on a 25-degree day, not so much).

Da Nang’s nightlife runs along Vo Nguyen Giap Street on the beach strip and Bach Dang along the river. Air 360 Sky Lounge on the rooftop of a tower near the Han River charges for the view rather than for drinks quality; it is fine for one cocktail and a look at the city from above before moving somewhere cheaper.

Day 7: Departure

The city’s signature dish is Mi Quang: yellow turmeric noodles with pork, shrimp, quail eggs, crushed peanuts, and a small amount of broth (drier than pho, not a soup). Find it at a street stall rather than a restaurant for a final breakfast of about 40,000 to 60,000 VND. This is the meal you will remember over anything from the sit-down restaurants.

Head to the airport with enough time to walk; Da Nang airport is small and check-in is straightforward, but the Grab pick-up zone has changed location recently so check the app instructions when you book.

Where to Stay

• InterContinental Danang Sun Peninsula Resort (Bai Bac, Son Tra Peninsula): luxury resort built into the hillside above the sea, 20 minutes from the city, rates from $250 to $500 per night. Worth it for a splurge night even if you stay elsewhere; the infinity pool situation is exceptional.
• Fusion Maia Danang (Truong Sa Street, My Khe Beach): all-pool-villa resort, rates from $180 to $400. Every room has a private pool. Closest option to a proper splurge in the beach strip.
• Mid-range (An Thuong neighbourhood): Multiple boutique hotels at $40 to $80 per night, 5 minutes walk from My Khe Beach. An Thuong has the best independent restaurant and bar street in Da Nang outside the tourist waterfront.
• Budget: Hostel dorm beds near the Han River from $8 to $15 per night. Da Nang’s hostel scene is smaller than Hoi An’s but functional.

Things to Know

February to May is the best window: temperatures sit at 25 to 30 degrees, rainfall is low, and the sea is calm enough for swimming. September to November brings heavy rain and occasional typhoons; October is the wettest month. The beach can be unsafe for swimming during typhoon season even on dry days due to strong currents.

Vietnamese Dong (VND) is the currency. 1 USD is roughly 25,000 VND in 2026. Small local restaurants and street food stalls are cash-only; larger hotels and restaurants accept cards. Carry 500,000 to 1,000,000 VND in small notes for daily expenses.

When visiting temples and pagodas, cover shoulders and knees. A lightweight scarf carried in a day bag is enough. The Linh Ung Pagoda on Son Tra is an active place of worship and dress codes are enforced at the entrance.

Tap water in Da Nang is not safe to drink. Bottled water costs 5,000 to 15,000 VND from convenience stores (far less than hotel minibar pricing). Hydration is genuinely important in heat above 35 degrees.

The best cheap meal you can have in Da Nang costs under 60,000 VND and involves noodles. The most expensive mistake is eating three meals a day at the hotel or on the tourist strip, where you will spend six times as much for inferior food.